


A Lesson in Chemistry

by southsidewrites



Series: A Lesson in Chemistry [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Jealous Reggie, Jealous Sweet Pea, Love, Love Triangle, Northsider Reader, Oral Sex, Possessive Sweet Pea, Post School-Merger AU, Reader-Insert, Romance, Secret Relationship, Sex, Smut, Sweet Pea POV, flirty banter, reader POV, southside serpents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 18:44:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14575251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: When Fangs accidentally mixes up your and Archie's addresses, you end up with a gang of angry Serpents on your front porch.  Little do you know, that night ends up being the beginning of a very complicated relationship between you,  the dangerously sexy bad boy Sweet Pea, and your longtime crush Reggie Mantle.  All you wanted to do that night was study for a test, but Sweet Pea taught you a lesson in Chemistry that you'll never forget.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for checking this story out. It started as a simple one-shot, but it quickly turned into one of the hottest, most fun fics I've ever written. Enjoy!

“No, Kev, I have not even sort of considered Reggie’s offer.” You leaned back on your bed, resting on the stack of pillows in front of your headboard.

“Oh, come on, Y/N, it’s just one date,” Kevin groaned, collapsing on the foot of your bed. “He may be a tool, but he’s so hot.”

“You’re just trying to live vicariously through me,” you argued. “You want me to sleep with all the straight guys you can’t just so I can tell you about it later.”

“Y/N.” His voice was matter-of-fact.  "It’s not my fault I’m one of like three guys into other guys in the entire town of Riverdale.  And now that Joaquin’s gone, it may just be me and Moose.“

You rolled your eyes. "I’m still not doing it, Kev.  It’s just begging for trouble.  All I need is my name written in some book for the entire football team to circlejerk over.”

He gave his most dramatic groan/eye roll combo. “Fine, be that way.  I’ll just waste away in my celibate prison of a life.”

“You are disgustingly dramatic, dude.”

He grinned. “And proud of it.”

You turned your attention back to the project at hand.  You had a big Chemistry test coming up, so you had invited Kevin over to help you with equations.  He was doing much better than you in the class, but he seemed determined to waste the whole night talking about Riverdale’s hottest fuckboys.

“So, Kev, any chance we’re going to get any Chemistry done tonight?  The test is on Monday, and my G.P.A. would not recover from a failure.” You sat up straighter, trying to focus, but failing miserably. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He rolled onto his stomach and flipped through your open textbook. “How about we start with some simple equation balancing?”

“Literally, I’ll do whatever you tell me.” You shook your head, staring down at your worksheet with an overwhelming feeling of defeat. “I’m hopeless.”

“Nah, not hopeless, just–” He was cut off by a banging on the door.  

“OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, BULLDOG!”

You and Kevin stared at each other, your eyes widening in fear.  Your parents were out for the night, so it was just the two of you there to defend yourself from whoever was out there.  You didn’t like your odds.  The banging and shouting continued—there had to be at least a few people.  What did they want with you?

“What do we do, Y/N?” Kevin whispered, looking around the room frantically.

“Probably call your dad, dumbass,” you replied, thrown off by how snarky your words came out. “But not yet.  Let me see what’s going on.” You slid off the bed and started creeping towards the window.

“Y/N, what the heck are you doing?” He whisper-shouted.

“Seeing who it is,” you snapped.  You reached the window, pushed the curtains aside, and looked down at the front porch.  Standing there, under the porch light, were four Southside Serpents.  Their matching leather coats gave them an imposing look.  All of them were shouting and pacing around, clearly ready for a fight.  Your heart started to race anew. “Kev,” you whispered.

His cell phone was in his hand. “Just tell me when.”

“I swear to god, Andrews,” the leader shouted, “if you’re not out here in thirty seconds, I’m coming in!”

“Wait, Andrews?” You groaned, dropping the curtains back over the window. “Motherfucking Archie Andrews.  Don’t call anyone, Kevin.”  

“What?” He demanded, following you as your stormed out of your room toward the stairs. “What do you mean?”

“Wait here,” you ordered, reaching the bottom of the stairs.  You walked to the door and threw it open to see a tall, angry looking Serpent looking down at you. “Can I help you?”

His eyes widened in shock.  Then, an amused grin spread across his face. “I didn’t know Andrews had a sister.”

“He doesn’t.” You crossed your arms and leaned on the door frame. “You’ve got the wrong house.”

The Serpent’s eyes narrowed in anger, and he turned to his friend. “Fangs, what the fuck?”

“672 Oak Street,” the shorter Serpent responded, throwing his hands in the air. “That’s the Andrews address.”

“Yeah, 672  _South_  Oak Street.  This would be 672  _North_  Oak Street.” You held the tall Serpent’s gaze, trying to read his expression.  His eyes were roaming over you in a way you knew all too well.

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Wish I was, skyscraper.  It’s been confusing mailmen, pizza guys, and gang members since it was built.” You couldn’t help but smile.  The group had gone from pissed off, raging gang members to awkwardly confused teenagers in the blink of an eye.

He smirked, licking his lip before speaking. “Well, I can’t say I mind this little detour.”

You felt a heated blush start to creep up your neck, and you couldn’t come up with an adequate response that wouldn’t make you look like a colossal moron.

“What’s your name, Northsider?”

“Y/N,” you replied.  Behind you, you heard Kevin gasp slightly, and you smiled.  He had been watching from the top of the stairs, and you could only imagine how much he was living for the drama unfolding in your doorway. “And you?”

“Sweet Pea.” His said is so sincerely that you weren’t sure if you should laugh or not.

“No way, that can’t be real.”

“Absolutely real, princess.”

Your heart nearly jumped into your throat, and you had to sputter out a fake cough to cover it.  Sweet Pea saw right through you.

“You should probably get to Archie’s, you know,” you said. “I mean, seeing as you’ve probably already drawn a little attention by nearly breaking down my front door.”

His gaze never left yours. “I’m not worried about that.  Not when I don’t even have your number yet.”

Damn, he was bold. “I don’t usually give my number to guys who introduce themselves by attempting to break down my door.” Your eyes drifted to the tattoo on his neck, and you found yourself wanting to do entirely indecent things to it.

“You should be impressed with my commitment to get to you."  His brown eyes looked deep black under the silvery moonlight.

"You know where I live, skyscraper.” You stepped back to make room to close the door. “Maybe stop by without the entourage sometime.”  

A low groan escaped his throat. “You don’t know how tempting that is, princess.”

“Have a good night, Sweet Pea.” You grinned slyly and closed the door.  Your heart was racing with a whole new kind of adrenaline.

Kevin had moved to the bottom of the stairs.  His jaw was hanging open.

“YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE, SKYSCRAPER?” he shouted, unable to contain his wide grin. “Y/N, you beautiful savage!”

You laughed, finally starting to relax before crashing on the couch. “I can’t believe I just flirted with a Southside Serpent.  Holy shit, I see the appeal now, Kev.”

He was nearly shaking with excitement. “That was beyond perfect.  You are a literal legend.”

You rolled your eyes, the image of Sweet Pea smirking still burned into your mind.  It was completely insane, but you really were hoping he’d come back. “Kev, I think I need a drink.”

“I think you need more than one drink,” he laughed. “What about Chemistry, though?”

“Oh, I think I’ve learned more than enough about Chemistry for the night.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting Sweet Pea a few weeks earlier, you run into him again when you’re forced to give him a tour of Riverdale High.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut

“I hate you for dragging me into this, Ronnie,” you said as you pulled your hair out of its messy bun.  The two of you were in a school bathroom making the last-minute touches to your outfits for the day. “Like, really, really hate.”

“Oh come on, Y/N, you’ll be awesome at it.” She grinned. “I mean, you do have a special penchant for Southside Serpents.”

You rolled your eyes, regretting ever telling her about your run-in with the Serpents a few weeks earlier.  As you expected, you never heard from Sweet Pea again.  Now, they would be going to your school, though, and you had to admit that you were excited at the prospect of seeing him again.

“It was one conversation, and it meant nothing.”

“The way Kevin tells it, you were about ready to drag him into your bed.”

“Kevin has a bit of a flair for the dramatic.” He was your best friend, but the boy had an unhealthy love of gossip.

She laughed, puckering her lips as she applied a fresh layer of lipstick.  It was a dark shade of berry red that made her look even better, if that was possible.  You looked down at your own tube of lipstick.  Sweet Pea.  Kevin had bought it for you as a joke, but you had to admit that it worked really well with your skin tone.

“Either way, you’ll be great at this, Y/N.  It’s just showing them around a bit, being friendly, making sure no testosterone-fueled brawls break out in front of Weatherbee, nothing too hard.”

You rolled your eyes.  Friendliness wasn’t usually your strong suit, but you were definitely capable of talking down a bunch of asshole dudes, a fact that Reggie had learned firsthand when he asked you out for the third time in a week.

“Just don’t you dare assign me to Sweet Pea, Ronnie.”

“Oh, so you think I should take him?  The guy literally hates Archie’s guts.”

“So?” You shot her your sweetest smile.

“Dream on, Y/N.”

* * *

You stood off to the side behind Veronica’s welcome table, tapping your foot impatiently as you texted Kevin.  Unlike Veronica, he was thrilled at the prospect of you reuniting with your “bad boy, boy toy.” You couldn’t roll your eyes hard enough.  Literally nothing was going to happen between you and Sweet Pea.  He was a Southside Serpent, and you were a completely average, semi-sheltered Northsider.

The front doors of the school opened, and you looked up to see none other than Sweet Pea leading a group of Serpents.

Fuck.

Veronica dived into her welcome speech, but you noticed right away that Sweet Pea’s attention was definitely not on her.  You could practically feel his gaze burning a hole through you.  

“Okay, and you guys will be with….” Veronica looked down at her list.  Then, she winked at you. “Y/N.”

Your voice was low as you leaned closer to her. “Ronnie, you–”

She held up a hand, silencing you. “Y/N will be a great host—I’m sure of it.”

You bit your lip, trying to hold back the stream of curse words that were threatening to burst from you.  Then, you put on the most cheerful smile you could muster. “Welcome to Riverdale High.”

Sweet Pea stepped closer, his gaze running over you heatedly, taking in your light skinny jeans, your low-cut v-neck. “I was hoping I might run into you, princess.”

You swallowed hard, trying not to choke on your words. “Nice to see you too, skyscraper.” You were astounded by how calm you sounded when all you wanted to do was crawl into a locker and turn into a pumpkin.

He smirked. “Fangs, Toni, think you can find your way around on your own?”

Toni rolled her eyes and she grabbed the other guy’s arm. “Even if we can’t, it’s better than watching this.” The two of them walked off, talking about something under their breath.

“Looks like it’s just us now.”

You exhaled, trying to control your shaky breathing and racing heart. “Looks like it.”

“So, do I get a grand tour now?” His dark eyes flicked from your eyes to your cleavage. “There’s so much I want to see.”

There was no mistaking his intentions.

“I suppose I can show you around a little.”

* * *

As you walked, you were acutely aware of how close Sweet Pea stood to you, of every time his hand bumped into yours.  The anticipation was driving you crazy.  You were doing your best to give some semblance of a tour, but Sweet Pea preferred to make snarky remarks and ask you too many personal questions.

“And what’s down this hall?” He asked, gesturing to a slightly darker hallway that you’d never been down.

“I’m not entirely sure.  I think it’s just the old locker rooms that they don’t use anymore and a few storage closets.”

He smirked. “I think we should take a look down there.”

Here it was—the moment of decision.  Did you go with him, do something incredibly stupid that you were sure to regret later, or did you turn the fuck around and pretend the whole thing never happened.  Sweet Pea sensed your indecision, and he bent down to your height, his lips brushing against your ear.  

“C'mon, Y/N, I think we both know you want to.”

That was all it took to send every bit of good judgment flying out of you. “Fuck, fine.”

His smile widened as he nearly dragged you into the nearest room—a large closet full of old football equipment.  He yanked the door shut and pressed you against it, his lips finding yours instinctively in the darkened room.

 "You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to do this,“ he murmured, his lips making their way down your jaw to your neck.  

"I have an idea.” You tipped your head back, allowing him more access.  Your entire body felt hot as his tongue dragged down to the hollow of your collarbone.  He sucked hard, and you gasped at the sting. “You better not leave a mark.”

He pulled his lips off you with a soft pop. “Too late, princess.  Now everyone’s going to know.”

In a clearer state of mind, you would have been pissed.  At that moment, though, you slammed your lips into his, hungrily spreading your lips to draw him deeper.  His hands moved to your waist, hip, and then thighs, and he lifted you up, pressing you harder against the door.

“Fuck, Sweet Pea,” you panted.  His hand had moved up your shirt to cup your breast, running his thumb over your nipple through the thin material.  You arched your back, pressing your hips into his with a moan.

“That’s it, princess, I want to hear you.” He dropped your legs to the ground, grabbing the hem of your shirt to pull it off.  

You tossed the shirt aside and pushed his coat off his shoulders. “Take off your shirt,” you ordered.

He smirked. “Your wish is my command.” His lips reattached to your neck, his skin hot against yours. “You are so fucking beautiful.”

With a breathy moan, you ran your hands down his sides to his belt buckle and gripped it tightly.  You could feel his hardness through his jeans as you undid his belt.  A low groan escaped Sweet Pea’s throat as his hands moved to your shoulders, pressing down.  You quickly complied, dropping to your knees and pulling down his jeans and boxers.  His hard cock popped out, and you weren’t sure if you should be impressed or terrified.

“Jesus Christ, Pea,” you breathed, taking him in your hand and starting to stroke.  

“Fuck, Y/N,” he moaned. “Suck my cock, baby.”

You placed a small kiss on the head before taking it as deep as you could.  A groan ripped through him as he hit your throat.  You ran your tongue along the sensitive underside of his cock, earning moan after moan.  He gripped your hair tightly, holding it back from your face as you worked.

Needing a breath, you pulled back, stroking his length slowly, teasingly.  He was close.

“Holy fuck, baby, you are really fucking good at that.”

You smirked. “I think you’ll like this even better then.” Without breaking eye contact, you took him even deeper, nearly gagging yourself even though you weren’t even close to taking his whole length.

“Fuuu–” He grabbed a nearby shelf, his legs tensing like he was about to fall over. “I’m–”

You moaned, the vibrations putting him over.  He exploded in your mouth, holding your head gently in place as his orgasm wracked through him.  You swallowed, sliding your mouth off him to lick your lips clean.  Before you could get a word out, though, Sweet Pea pulled you to your feet, kissing you hard and popping open the button of your jeans.

“It’s your turn, princess.”

Your legs weakened as he slid his hand into your open pants, cupping your soaked core. “Please, Pea,” you gasped, bucking your hips into him.

“My, my, my someone is needy.” He smirked, then started nipping and sucking his way down your collarbones to the cups of your bra, leaving little purple bruises in his wake. “The good little Northsider is pretty bad when no one is watching.”  He pushed your panties aside, rubbing his fingers over your soaked folds.

“Oh my god.” You tipped your head back, your eyes squeezing shut as he dropped to his knees, pulling down your jeans and panties. You kicked the offending garments off, spreading your legs eagerly for him. “I need your mouth on me, Pea.”

“You mean here?” He kissed your inner thigh, and your legs went weak.  If he hadn’t been holding your thighs, you would have crumbled to the ground.

“My god, you are a fucking tease,” you grumbled, grabbing his head and trying to redirect him. “Just get to the point.”

“If you say so.” He licked slowly from your entrance up to your clit, and your hips bucked in response.  You moaned loudly, amazed by how good everything felt.  Your mind went fuzzy as he pushed a finger into you, his tongue swirling in circles around your clit.  His moans sent vibrations through you, intensifying the pleasure.  

“Pea, I’m close,” you gasped. “Fuck.”

He added another finger easily, his tongue still dancing over your clit. “That’s it, baby,” he breathed. “Come for me.”

You whimpered with pleasure, your head hitting the door behind you as you arched your back.  All you could do was groan and gasp incoherently as he sucked hard on your sensitive clit.  Your whole body flushed with exertion as you felt your orgasm building.  

Throwing your hand to your mouth, your vision blurred as your orgasm exploded through you.  You did your best to muffle your loud moans as Sweet Pea sucked and licked through your pleasure.  Your whole body was shaking underneath his skillful tongue.  Finally, you faded out, your eyes still shut as Sweet Pea pulled his mouth away from you.

“Shit,” you sighed. “Wow.”

He smirked, planting a soft kiss on your temple. “Wow is right.”  He handed you your clothes, and you attempted to get them back on, even though your legs were shaking like crazy.  Then, the bell to signal first hour rang through the room.

“Fuck,” he mused. “Looks like I have to go to Chemistry now.”

Your head shot up. “You have Chemistry first hour?”

He looked confused. “Yeah, why?”

“You’re fucking kidding me.  With Barnes?”

He grinned as he realized what you were implying. “Yup, Mr. Barnes.”

Instead of replying, you just groaned. “My fucking luck.”

“What princess?” He smirked, his brown eyes glinting mischievously. “I thought we already knew that we had Chemistry?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sweet Pea have been hooking up for close to two weeks, and you’re both ready to take it to the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut

“Holy shit,” you breathed, tipping your head back on the door.  Your eyes were still squeezed shut.

Sweet Pea chuckled roughly. “What?”

“Shut the fuck up, Pea.”

He grinned and stood up to readjust his own pants. “This is definitely worth getting to school early for.”

You rolled your eyes and got to work pulling your pants back on.  Your before school janitor’s closet hookups with Sweet Pea had become a pretty regular occurrence in the two weeks since Southside High closed.  He wasn’t always at school early, but when he was, you could always expect a text telling you to meet him.  

Slowly, you pulled his face to yours for a quick kiss. “What are you doing tonight?”

“Why do you ask?” He smirked.

“Because, my parents are out of town, and you talk a pretty big game about what you could do if you took your time.” You ran your hand down his chest, stopping at his belt buckle and gripping it tightly. “That is if you want to.”

A low moan escaped his throat. “You don’t know how bad I want to, princess.  Morning oral in the closet is great an all, but the things I would do to you…”

You smirked. “You know where I live, skyscraper.”

“You’re literally going to kill me.”

“Not before tonight, I hope.” With that, you started pulling your hair up and walked out of the closet to get to first hour.  

* * *

“I’m really not feeling the love, Y/N,” Kevin said, lazily starting to pack up his books. “I mean, isn’t it customary to allow your guests at least a little time to digest their dinner before kicking them out?”

You rolled your eyes. “You are endlessly dramatic, Kev.  I am not forcing you out.”

“No, but you’re nearly shaking with anticipation, and it’s making me sick.” He grinned, not nearly as pissed off as he wanted you to think.  

“Shut up,” you groaned, burying your face in a throw pillow on the couch. “I am not shaking with anticipation.”

“This will be your first time with Sweet Pea, Y/N.  Hell, I’d be shaking with anticipation too.”

“Please stop calling it a first time, Kevin.  It’s not like we’re some fumbling virgins madly in love and desperate to get some.”

“You may not be a virgin, Y/N, but you are the definition of desperate to get some.  Like, if you look up desperate in a dictionary, there’d be a page-sized picture of you.”

You shook your head, trying not to smile but desperate for a change of topic. “Did I tell you that Reggie asked me out again.”

“Wait, like, for real?” Your distraction had worked.

“Like, for real.  Not just snarky comments, not just flirty, but like on a real-live date.” You sighed. “It was actually super sweet.”

“When did this happen?”

“Today at lunch.”

“And what do you want to do about it?”

“I’m not sure.” You started playing with a loose thread on the throw pillow. “I mean, I kind of feel like I should give him a chance, but that means…”

“You’re not seriously holding back on dating the guy you’ve had a crush on for years because of a random hookup, are you?”

“No,” you answered firmly. “And I have not had a crush on him for years, asshole.”

“Liar.  You only talk such a big game about being annoyed by him because you’d never admit how much you wanted him to ask you out.” He smiled softly. “Come on, Y/N, he’s the freaking football captain."

“Kev, I–” Your phone buzzed, cutting you off.  You glanced down at the screen, and your grin curved into a smile. “Can we return to this conversation later?  Sweet Pea’s here, and as you said, I am actually kind of desperate to get some.”

He laughed and threw his backpack over his shoulder. “Fine, but don’t you dare think that I’m not returning to this conversation.”

“Fine,” you laughed, climbing off the couch to shove him toward the door. “Now get out of here.”“

"Pushy, pushy,” he laughed, shaking his head. “See you later, Y/N.”

“See you later, Kev.” You shut the door behind him, and within minutes, someone was knocking.  You pulled open the door, doing your best not to grin like a total moron. “Thought you’d never make it,” you drawled, holding the door open to let him in.

“Thought Keller’d never leave,” he replied, already shoving you back against the wall. “You look so fucking good tonight, princess.”

Your heart thudded in your chest as his lips attached to your neck. “Fuck, Sweet Pea,” you breathed. “Upstairs, now.”

He smirked, his lips still hot on your newest hickey. “Damn, who would have thought I’d upgrade from a closet to your bedroom?  I’m honored.”

“Shut the fuck up.” You grabbed his hand and nearly dragged him up the stairs to the bedroom.  Yanking the door shut behind you, you shoved him back on the door and pushed his flannel off his shoulders. “It’s literally just a room, nothing’s changing between us.”

“I know.” He nodded breathlessly, his hands running up your shirt to pull it off. “Perfect, yeah.” Once your shirt was off, he ran his hands down your sides to your thighs.  He picked you up with a grunt and dropped you onto the bed, already climbing on top of you. “Are you sure you want to do this, Y/N?”

You nodded, tipping your head back on the pillow as he dragged your jeans down your legs. “Just fuck me, Sweet Pea.”

He groaned, quickly scrambling out of his own jeans.  Within seconds, you were both naked, your lips attacking everything within reach.  His skin was hot against your own, and you could feel his heart beating in his chest.  His rough fingertip brushed over your nipple, making you whimper with desire.  He dragged his lips down your neck to your collarbone, sucking hard enough to leave marks every few inches.  When he reached your nipple, he sucked hard, rubbing the other between his thumb and forefinger.   Your back arched, and you ran your hand through his messy hair to hold him close.

“You are so fucking beautiful, Y/N. Holy shit.”

“Sweet Pea, please.” Your hips bucked. “More.”

“What happened to wanting me to take my time?”

“Take your time faster,” you gasped.

Smirking, he slid two fingers down your slit, groaning when he felt how wet you were. “I suppose I can do that.”

“Shit, Sweet Pea.”

His voice was low and rough. “Do you have a condom?”

“Nightstand,” you managed.

He slipped his fingers out of you, leaning over to fish around in the nightstand drawer. “Got it.” He rolled the condom on and then leaned back on top of you.  You could feel his hardness pressing into your thigh, and there was a dull ache spreading from your stomach.  

You gripped his head, pulling him close for a slow kiss.  Every inch of your bodies was pressed together, and your legs were spread in anticipation.  Sweet Pea looked down at you with dark eyes.  

“God, you look beautiful spread out for me like that.  Fuck, your pussy’s going to feel so good on my cock.” He pushed your legs farther apart, lazily circling your clit with his thumb until you were squirming underneath him. “What do you want me to do, princess?”

“Fuck me, Sweet Pea, please fuck me,” you pleaded.  You tried to move your hips, but he was holding you down too tightly.  

“You want my cock?”

“Yes, fuck, I want your cock.”

He smirked. “Hold on tight, princess.” He gripped his cock tightly as he pressed into you. “Oh fuck, holy shit, you feel so fucking good.”

Your fingertips dug into his back, holding him tightly to you.  He was bigger than anyone you’d been with before, and you felt impossibly full.  You whimpered with pleasure through gritted teeth.  Then, he started thrusting, rocking your whole body with every movement.  His muscled body completely covered yours, holding you in place.  

The needy ache in your stomach was spreading, and you could feel your orgasm building.  "Sweet Pea, I'm—fuck—I’m close.“

"Me too,” he grunted. “Come on my cock, princess.  Come on my hard cock.”

His words put you over the edge, and you lost all control as your orgasm ripped through you. Every inch of your body felt like it was on fire, and all you could do was writhe and moan incoherently.  Sweet Pea’s thrusts got sloppier rougher until he froze in place, finishing deep inside you.  Then, he collapsed onto the bed, his breathing heavy.

You stayed on the bed, doing your best to steady your breathing as he got rid of the condom.  He crawled back into bed, placing soft kisses on your neck.

“That was amazing.”

“Yeah,” you breathed, dragging your eyes open to roll over and look at him. “Like, wow.”

He smirked. “We should do this more often.”

You laughed, tugging the sheet up to cover yourself. “I agree.” Your smile softened. “So, friends with benefits aside, how are you liking Riverdale High?”

He shrugged, running a hand through your messy hair. “Well, I think you’re my favorite part of it so far, sex aside.  I feel like you’re one of the only people who sees more as more than the tattoo on my neck.”

With one fingertip, you lightly traced the snake. “I mean, I like to think you’re more than just a gang member.  At the very least, you’re a hell of a lot better at Chemistry than me.”

“Oh am I?” He smirked and then shook his head. “I like science.  Always have.”

“Alright then, what do you want to be when you grow up?”

He rolled his eyes at your cheesy grin. “I’m probably going to end up taking over the Serpents, maybe work at the Wyrm or the bike garage.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He gave you a confused look. “Yes, I did.”

“No, you didn’t.  I asked what you  _wanted_ to be, and you told me what you’ll probably be.”

“There’s not really a difference.”

“Isn’t there?” You rolled onto your back and started twisting your hair around your fingers. “I want to be a writer, but if my parents have anything to say about it, I’ll go into something boring like business or finance.”

He gave you a skeptical look. “A writer?”

“Yeah.” Your voice was soft. “I’m not sure what I’d want to write yet, but I definitely want to write.”

“You’d be good at it.” His voice was soft.  Then, he paused. “I always wanted to be a doctor, but there’s no way my grades are good enough to get into college, not to mention I’m not exactly hirable in a professional setting.”

“Sure you are, Pea.” You smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “You’d make a great doctor.”

He rolled his eyes. “Doubtful.”

On the floor next to the bed, you heard a phone buzz. “Shit.” You climbed off the bed to fish the phone out of your jeans.  Reggie.  

You must have paused for too long because Sweet Pea sat up to look at you. “Need me to go?”

The happy glow in your stomach was quickly replaced with a sinking feeling. “No, you’re fine.” You clicked off the phone and set it on the nightstand. “No one important.”

He smiled as you crawled back into his arms. “Good.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sweet Pea still on your mind, you go on a date with your long-time crush Reggie Mantle.

“No girl, you need to wear the red dress,” Kevin said, setting down his phone to give you a stern glare. “I don’t care if you feel like it makes your ass look huge—that huge ass is one of your best assets.”

You rolled your eyes. “Ronnie, what do you think—red or black?”

She gave you a discerning look, observing everything from your casually styled hair to your low-heeled ankle boots. “Where are you going again?”

“That Italian place in Greendale.”

“Hmm.” She started flipping through your closet, checking out all the available options. “And does he or does he not know you’re fucking Sweet Pea?”

Kevin burst out laughing, nearly falling off the bed as he clutched his stomach.  Veronica couldn’t hold a straight face either, covering her mouth as she stifled a laugh.

You tossed both dresses onto the chair and flopped face-first onto the bed. “You guys are the worst,” you groaned, your voice muffled by the pillows. “Literally why do you even need to bring that up right now?”

“How are you not thinking about it right now?” Kevin asked. “Y/N, you literally have both of the hottest guys in the school all over you—the classic, good-looking, athletic dreamboat, and the tough, broody, sort of dangerous, but insanely sexy bad boy.  That’s literally insane.”

“Tell me about it.” You rolled over to look at them. “It’s not like I’m committed to either of them, though.  Sweet Pea and I are just friends who fuck, and Reggie will probably get bored of me before basketball season even ends.”

“Basketball season like just started,” Veronica commented. “Aren’t they only like two games in?”

“Yeah, which is exactly why he’s looking for a girlfriend.  He needs someone to drag to all the parties.”

“I don’t know, Y/N, I’ve heard some things that make me think otherwise,” Kevin drawled, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“What are you hearing, Keller?” you demanded, grabbing his shoulders and pinning him to the bed. “Tell me.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of passion for a guy you claim to barely even care about.”

“Kevin, I swear to god, I will—”

“Fine, fine.  It may be nothing, but Moose was telling me that he’s been working out how to ask you almost since football season.  He also spent almost a whole basketball practice asking where he should take you.”

You groaned and dropped back onto the bed. It felt like someone had just unleashed an army of butterflies in your stomach. “Really?”

“Really and truly,” he confirmed.

Next to you, your phone pinged, so you grabbed it and clicked on the screen. “Reggie’s going to be here any minute.  I need to pick a dress now.”

“This one,” Veronica said, handing you a deep blue dress that hadn’t even crossed your mind. “It’s a lot more casual, and it will be perfect.  Especially for when you inevitably end up at Pop’s afterward.”

You smiled softly. “Thanks, Ronnie.” Smirking, you rolled over to look at Kevin. “And thank you, Kev.”

“Anytime.” He reached out to squeeze your hand gently. “Have fun tonight, and don’t you dare let a fuckbuddy get in the way of what might be an awesome relationship.”

“Unless, of course, the fuckbuddy’s better in bed. Then, let him get all up in the way.” Veronica grinned.

“I hate you both.” You slipped on the dress, double-checked your hair, and took a deep breath. “But thanks.”

* * *

“No way, that’s insanely embarrassing.”

“No, no, not at all,” Reggie laughed. “I thought it was so cute how you handled it.  I mean, come on, that really says something about the status of our school when a chair breaks from being sat on.”

You blushed as you took another sip of your milkshake.  You didn’t even remember Reggie being in that math class when you broke a desk chair, but apparently, it had been a turning moment in his feelings for you.

“Thanks again for tonight, Reggie.  I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Cautiously, almost nervously, he reached over the table and laced his fingers with yours. “Me too.” His brown eyes were warm and genuine, his lips barely parted.  Had you not been sitting in a booth at Pop’s, you might have leaned over and kissed him right there.  This was Reggie Mantle, the guy who you’d never admit how much you liked.

Behind you, you heard the bell ring, signaling someone walking into the diner.  Reggie’s eyes narrowed when he saw who it was.  Curious, you looked around, and your heart dropped into your stomach.

“Sweet Pea,” he said, addressing the tall Serpent with a curt nod.  Now that tryouts were official, they were on the basketball team together, but that by no means meant they liked each other.

“Mantle.” He stepped closer, flanked by Toni and Fangs. When he saw you, though, his firm expression broke, and his jaw fell open slightly. “And Y/N.  Hey.”

You hadn’t so much as mentioned this date to him—why would you?  Who you dated was none of his business.

“Hey, Sweet Pea.” Mercifully, your voice sounded completely unaffected even though your heart was pounding so hard you thought it might burst out of your chest.

“You know each other?” Reggie asked, his grip on your hand tightening.

“Chemistry,” Sweet Pea answered brusquely. “We’re in the same Chemistry class.”

Reggie nodded, relaxing noticeably. “Oh, okay.”

“Guess I’ll see you guys around,” he said, his tone nonchalant. “Later.”

“Later man,” Reggie replied.

Your tongue felt like it weighed a ton, and no words came out.  It wasn’t until the Serpents walked away, choosing a booth on the far end of the diner, that you managed to remember how to speak.

“So, Sweet Pea made the basketball team, right?”

Reggie nodded. “And I may not like the guy, but he’s damn good.  I can’t hate someone who can help us win like that.”

You nodded slowly. “Makes sense.” Your lips curved into a soft smile, and you hoped it looked genuine. “So, when’s the next home game?”

“Why?” he asked, his face lighting up. “Are you planning on going?”

“I’d like to—that is, if you want me to.”

His smile widened. “I’d like nothing more.” His thumb ran down the back of your hand, sending goosebumps up your arm. “Now, I suppose I should probably take you home,” he drawled. “Seeing as it’s after midnight and all.”

You shrugged. “I mean, yeah, my parents probably want me home eventually.”

“Let’s go then.” As the two of you walked out of the diner, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, holding you close to shelter you from the winter wind.  When you reached his car, he pulled you to a stop, your bodies inches away from each other.

You smiled softly, resting your hands on his chest. “We should do this again sometime, Reggie.”

“I’d like that.” His voice was barely above a whisper, and his eyes flicked down to your lips. “Y/N, can I—”

You nodded, cutting him off with a kiss.  His hands instantly moved to your waist, pulling you impossibly closer as his lips gently parted yours.  His lips were hot against yours, and at that moment, all you could think about was how damn good it felt, how much you wanted more, how much you wanted him.  A moment later, you broke apart.  

“Wow,” he breathed. “I, uh, wow.”

You laughed, running a hand through his hair to hold him close. “Wow is right.”

“We definitely need to do this again sometime.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” You pulled him close for another kiss, completely oblivious to who was watching you through the neon-lit diner windows.  


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your date with Reggie, Sweet Pea is pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut

“Pea, get your ass off the couch, we’re going out,” Toni said, tossing a leather coat at her friend.

“Fucking hell, Toni, just leave me alone,” Sweet Pea grumbled, returning his gaze to the TV in front of him.  

“You’re watching Friends reruns, Sweet Pea.  Is that genuinely how you want to spend your Saturday night?”

“Kind of,” he admitted, readjusting his position on the throw pillow. “Sounds better than going out right now.”

“Too damn bad.” She grabbed his boots and started throwing those at him too. “We don’t need to go to the Wyrm, but you do need to get off the couch.  Don’t make me call Fangs and Jughead to drag your bulky ass out of here.”

He groaned and rolled off the couch to pull his coat and boots on. “Fine, fine.  Can we go to Pop’s?  I’m hungry as hell.”

Toni smirked slightly. “Yes, Sweet Pea, we can go to Pop’s.”

* * *

“C’mon, dude, he’s a Northsider,” Toni teased, shoving Fangs with a playful grin as they made the short walk to Pop’s. “And the sheriff’s son at that.”

“All we’re doing is working on the musical together,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like we’re seeing each other anywhere but rehearsal.  Anyways, what about you and the Blossom chick?  Your River Vixen tryout felt like the lead-up to a really bad lesbian porno.”

Toni laughed. “If only.  And yes, I guess we might kind of be a thing, maybe.”

“Are we not going to talk about the weirdest Northside story of all?” Jughead asked, finally speaking up. “C’mon guys, Sweet Pea is the one secretly hooking up with an honor student.”

Toni’s eyed widened. “Wait, what?  Sweet Pea, for real?  The girl from the welcome committee?”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, thankful he was able to keep a straight face. “It’s not a big thing.”

“Not a big thing?” Fangs asked. “What is it then? And since when?”

Sweet Pea glared at Jughead. “Since we started at Riverdale.  And all we do is hook up every now and then—it’s not like we’re even friends or something.” The words made him feel a sinking in his gut.  They weren’t  _really_ friends.  He was definitely closer to her than he wanted to be, though.

“That’s dangerous as fuck, Sweet Pea,” Jughead said. “Y/N’s not exactly the type of person who hangs out with Serpents.  She’s one of Veronica’s best friends, and I heard she’s got a thing with Reggie Mantle.”

He scoffed in response. “Like I’m scared of Reggie Mantle.  Dude’s a tool, and it’s bad enough I have to be on the same team as him.”

“Just saying,” Jughead said, sticking his hands back in his pockets. “Don’t come whining to me when this whole thing blows up in your face.”

They reached the diner, and Sweet Pea pulled the door open to see none other than Reggie Mantle sitting across from a girl that looked a little too much like Y/N.  He was holding her hand and had a dreamy-eyed expression that made him want to hurl. As soon as he saw them walk in, though, his eyes narrowed.  Hardening his expression, Sweet Pea kept walking, aiming for a table as far away as possible.

“Sweet Pea,” Mantle said, nodding with the bare minimum of politeness.

“Mantle,” he replied, his tone icy.  As soon as he saw the face of the girl he was sitting with, though, his fists clenched tightly with rage. “And Y/N. Hey.” It took all the self-control he had not to grab her arm and yank her out of the booth right there.

“Hey, Sweet Pea.” Her voice was soft but calm, and she looked about ready to puke.

“You know each other?” Mantle asked, his gaze hard and unflinching.

“Chemistry,” Sweet Pea replied.   _And nothing fucking else.  She’s casual fun, nothing more.  You have no right to her, dumbass._

Mantle nodded, relaxing slightly. “Oh, okay.”

 _Better be fucking okay, you fucking—_ He cut the thought off. “Guess I’ll see you guys around.  Later.”

“Later man,” Mantle replied, turning his attention back to his date.

Sweet Pea didn’t even look at her as she sat there silently.  Mantle was some kind of moron if he didn’t see how uncomfortable she looked.  When he got to a booth as far away from them as possible, he sat down, making sure not to face her.

His friends sat down with him, and Toni gave him an unimpressed look.

“What?” he snapped.

“Nothing,” she replied lightly. “But that was fucking painful.”

“Shut up, Topaz.” He grabbed a menu and started reading as if he didn’t already have it memorized.

“No, really man, that was bad,” Jughead added. “You looked about ready to kill someone.”

“Sweet Pea,” Fangs said, trying not to smirk. “Are you jealous of Reggie Mantle going on a date with Y/N?”

“Not a chance,” he snapped. “Why would I be jealous? She can date whoever she wants to. It’s not like we’re in a fucking relationship or something.”

Toni snickered. “We get it, Pea, you don’t like her, not even a little itty-bitty bit.”

“Can we not talk about this?”

“Fine, dude,” Jughead said, getting up to go order at the counter. “Like I said, though, don’t come whining to us when this all blows up on you.”

“Whatever Jones.” He looked up from the menu to look out the window, and he was suddenly overcome with a strong urge to either stab someone or stab himself.  Y/N and Mantle were kissing, making out really, and when they pulled apart, she smiled the same way she had for him just a few nights before.

* * *

You walked out of your last class Monday feeling the best you had in ages.  After your date with Reggie on Friday, you and he hadn’t stopped texting, talking, and facetiming.  He had been insanely sweet, and you were looking forward to hanging out with him after basketball practice that night.  

Before you reached the main school doors, you got a text.

_Sweets: meet me—now_

You bit your lip, unsure of how you wanted to respond.  He hadn’t been in Chemistry that morning, and you hadn’t so much as texted each other since he saw you with Reggie on Friday.  At the very least, you knew that you should talk to him.  Instead of responding, you turned around and started walking back toward the hallway with the old locker rooms.  As soon as you pushed open the door to your usual closet, his lips were on yours.

“Sweet Pea, I—”

“Tell me if you want me to stop, Y/N.  I’ll stop if you want me to.” His voice was low and rough, and his hand was dragging dangerously down your waist to the waistband of your jeans.

“I—uh—shit, Sweets, this is a bad idea.”

“It has been since the moment we met, princess.”

There was an ache in your stomach, and you weren’t sure if it was guilt or lust. “Don’t stop.”

He smirked and pulled you closed for another kiss. It was rougher, hungrier than you were used to, and you never wanted it to end.  His lips trailed down your neck to your collarbone, and your legs weakened. Slowly, he dragged your shirt off, his lips moving to the cups of your bra. “Holy fuck, I need you,” he moaned.

“Sweets, we’re at school,” you gasped, clinging to his shoulders. “We can’t—”

“I don’t want to hear what we can or can’t do, Y/N.” He fixed his dark eyes on yours. “I told you to tell me if you want me to stop.  Is that a stop?” His hand moved to your jeans, popping open the button.

“Fuck, no.” You kissed him hard, running your hands through his hair as his hand slipped into your pants. “I fucking want you, Pea."

“Well, you’re going to take me, princess.” His lips curved into a smirk as he left a dark hickey just above the cup of your bra. He pushed your pants down, and you kicked them off, pressing your hips into his.

“Fuck you’re needy,” he murmured, unzipping his own pants and pushing them down just enough for his hardness to spring out. Roughly, he shoved your panties aside, sliding a finger into you. “And wet too.  _Fuck_ ,  _Y/N.”_

You gripped his length, stroking it as moan after moan slipped from your lips. “Sweet Pea, please.”

“Your wish is my command.” He slipped his finger out and thrust into you hard, shocking you with the sudden fullness. “How’s that feel, huh?”

Your head tipped back, and you slapped your hand over your mouth to cover a shout.  He picked up a relentless pace, and you couldn’t tell if you were shaking from pain or pleasure. He gripped your thighs, lifting you off the floor to slam you back into the door.  It was right in time, too because your knees were about ready to give out.

“God-fucking-damn, Y/N, you’re so tight.  Fuck, you take my cock so good princess.” He kissed your neck roughly, his fingertips digging hard into your thighs.  He moaned incoherently as his thrusts slowed and got harder. His hand moved to your clit and he rubbed hard, putting you immediately over the edge.  You came hard, clinging to him and wrapping your legs around his waist. He followed quickly, thrusting hard into you and holding you in place as he came.  As he finished, he dropped your legs, his hands moving to your hips. Still breathing heavily, he rested his forehead on yours.

“Sweet Pea,” you panted. “What—what was this about?”

“This was about absolutely nothing, Y/N.  Isn’t that what this whole thing is?  We fuck, maybe talk a little, and then go our separate ways.” He started zipping his pants back up. “Unless there’s something else I need to know.”

You fished your jeans off the floor and pulled them back on.  At his words, your breath felt even shorter.  You squeezed your eyes shut, and all you could see was Reggie’s smile after you kissed him. “No, Sweet Pea, that’s it.”

“Thought so.”  He bit his lip, his frown deepening.

You pulled your shirt back on, making sure you were fully dressed. “Sweet Pea, can we talk?”

He shook his head. “Not now—I need to get to basketball practice.” He smirked. “Want me to say hello to Mantle for you?”

“Fuck, Sweet Pea.” You ran your hand through your hair with a sigh. “That’s what we need to fucking talking about.”

“What?  He doesn’t know about me?” he asked, his tone light with mock surprise. “I thought for sure you’d tell him.”

“What the hell, Sweet Pea?” you snapped. “We went on one date, so no, I didn’t tell him about you yet.”

“Yet?” Do you plan to tell him?”

“No.” You groaned. “No, I don’t, actually because it would break his fucking heart.”

“Break his heart?” Sweet Pea laughed. “More like break his fragile ego.”

“Look, Sweet Pea, we agreed that this was casual—no feelings and no commitments.  As far as I know, that hasn’t changed.  I can date someone if I want to, and until him and I decide otherwise, I can still fuck whoever the hell I want to.  I’m not some piece of property the two of you need to get into a pissing match over.” Your fists clenched at your sides, and you could feel the burning of tears starting to form.

He laughed darkly, shaking his head. “Yeah, you’re right, Y/N.  Sorry, I’m being an ass.”

“I think we need to take some time to cool off, at least until I figure this whole thing out.”

“Take all the time you need, princess.” He started walking towards the closet door. “You know my number when you decide.”

The door slammed behind him, and you slid to the ground, resting your back against the cold cement wall.  Tears started flowing freely, and your shoulders shook with an angry sob. You couldn’t have feelings for Sweet Pea—that wasn’t part of the plan. You were seeing Reggie now, and he didn’t deserve this.  Not that you had cheated—Reggie really wasn’t your boyfriend yet.

Yet.

He would still be hurt, though, and you knew it. What the fuck had you gotten yourself into?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Sweet Pea refusing to speak to you, you decide to move forward in your relationship with Reggie.

After fighting with Sweet Pea on Monday, you didn’t hear from him all week.  He was back in Chemistry Tuesday, sitting in his usual spot across the room from you, but you didn’t get one text message.  You really had wanted to talk to him, but his ignoring you seemed to be all the answer you’d get.  Clearly, he was over whatever had existed between you two.  It hurt, but you knew that it was probably the best if you wanted any chance of things working out with Reggie.

At lunch, Reggie found you almost immediately. Instinctively, you pulled up the collar of your shirt.  Even though the hickey Sweet Pea had left was easily covered by your shirt, you were still paranoid that Reggie would see and flip out.

“Hey babe,” he said, hopping into the seat next to you and wrapping his arm around your waist. “How was your morning?”

“Fine,” you replied with a shrug. “Yours?”

He shrugged. “That Chemistry test was a bitch.” He grinned and leaned in to kiss you on the cheek. “I think I might need some help outside of class.”

You rolled your eyes and gave him a quick kiss. “I might be able to do that.”

“You’re the best.” He pulled out his lunch to start eating. “So, are you planning to go to the game tonight?”

“Of course.” You rested your hand on his thigh, loving how easy it felt to be close to him. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

He smiled, that wide, genuine smile that was impossible not to return. “Good.  I’m glad. Do you have any plans for after the game?”

“Not unless you do.”

“Well, normally I’d go to the party—I think it’s at Archie’s tonight—but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out instead. Maybe go to Pop’s, watch a movie, something chill, you know?”

“That sounds perfect.”

* * *

“Okay, Y/N, spill,” Kevin said as he took the seat next to you on the bleachers. “What the heck is going on between you and—” He stopped to glance around. “A certain snakey friend?”

“Dear god, Kevin,” you groaned. “Be a little more obvious why don’t you?  And there’s nothing going on between me and him.  Not anymore.”

His eyebrows rose in shock. “How’d that happen?”

“I don’t know.” You sighed, absentmindedly opening your phone to his contact. “Well, I guess I do.  He saw me on a date with Reggie, I wanted to talk about it, we fucked in a closet instead, and I haven’t heard from him since.  Guess he just doesn’t want to deal with it if I’m in a relationship.”

Kevin nodded slowly. “Well, it sucks, but I suppose that’s a good thing, right?  Now you don’t have to worry about catching feelings for some guy you were never going to be with anyways.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” You clicked off your phone to shove it in your pocket just as they started announcing players.  Sweet Pea and Reggie were starting.   _Excellent._

The game started normally enough—Riverdale took a quick lead over Greendale, and Reggie was playing a great game.  Even from the stands, you could see Sweet Pea starting to get pissed off.  It was just a few minutes before halftime things really took a turn for the worse.

Sweet Pea dribbled down the court, dodging through defenders, but he wasn’t clear for the shot.

“I’m open!” Reggie yelled.

Sweet Pea glanced over, and immediately shoved forward, clearing his way to the hoop.

The referee’s whistle split through the noise of the crowd. “Personal foul, number 44.”

You bit your lip with frustration.  Sweet Pea was screwing up the game because he didn’t want to work with Reggie.  

After the penalty shots, Reggie got the ball. As soon as he got back down the court, he went for the shot.  A defender jumped in, knocking them both to the ground and letting a player from Greendale get the ball.  

“Damn, girl,” Kevin said. “You’re like the Helen of Riverdale High.”

You gave him a skeptical look. “What the hell does that mean, Kevin?”

“Helen started the Trojan War—you’re starting the great basketball feud of 2018.”

“Shut up,” you groaned.  You didn’t want to admit it—it couldn’t be because of you.  Reggie and Sweet Pea already hated each other, right?

After halftime, it got worse.  Within the first few minutes, both boys were within one penalty of getting ejected from the game.  The coach called a timeout, pulling the two of them aside.

“What the hell has gotten into you two?” he shouted. “You are teammates, and you’re behaving like idiots.”

They both murmured apologies.

“Now, any more shit from you two, and you’re not just out of  _this_  game.  Understood?”

They nodded.

“Good, get back out there and do better.”

The rest of the game went smoothly enough. Riverdale took the lead again, and Reggie and Sweet Pea both played nice.  They didn’t pass much to each other, but they stopped fouling at the very least.  You couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in your gut, though.  Whatever Sweet Pea was feeling for you, he  _definitely_  wasn’t over it.

* * *

“Congratulations, Reg,” you said, greeting him with a hug as he came out of the locker room. “You were great.”

Smiling slightly, he shook his head. “You saw coach yelling at me—everyone did.” He ran his hand through his already-messy hair. “I don’t know what got into me—Sweet Pea was just pissing me off even more than usual.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal.” You ran your hand through his hair and laced your other fingers with his. “You won, and you still get to play next week.  Sounds like a success in my book.”

He leaned in for a kiss, moving his hands to your waist.  His lips were soft against yours, and you could feel him smiling through the kiss. “Thanks,” he murmured, still holding you close. “So, still want to do something tonight?”

“’Course I do.  Still want to do something chill?”

He nodded. “How about you come back to my house? We can order a pizza and watch movies.”

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

Reggie’s lips trailed from your lips down your neck—his breath was hot against your skin.  His hand drifted down your side to your hip, resting on the skin where your shirt had ridden up. “Shit, Y/N, you’re so fucking gorgeous,” he breathed.

“Reggie, I—” You gasped as he kissed a sensitive spot just below your ear. “Oh my god.”

He chuckled, moving his hand to your back to pull you onto his lap.  You readjusted your legs so that they were on either side of his.  Then, you pulled yourself even closer, kissing him deeply.

Slowly, he started moving his hand up your shirt to push it off.  Your mind flashed to the hickey on your chest, and your hand flew up to stop him.

“Reg—wait, I—”

“Shit, sorry, Y/N,” he said, dropping his hand immediately. “I’m sorry—I should have asked.”

You pressed a slow kiss into his lips. “It’s fine, Reggie, really.” You smiled, running your hand through his hair.  “I just—” You paused. “I was kind of hoping we could take this a little slower, you know?” The lie felt like a cement block in your stomach.  In reality, you would have killed for a good hookup, something to take your mind off Sweet Pea, but you couldn’t, not with that hickey still fading on your chest.

“Hey, that’s fine.” He smiled softly, tucking your hair behind your ear and cupping your cheek. “Really, Y/N, I’m not in this for a quick hookup.  I really like you.”

The cement in your stomach started turning into butterflies. “I really like you too, Reggie.”

He cleared his throat, biting his lip almost nervously. “Y/N, I was wondering if maybe you’d want to make this more official. Like, be my girlfriend?”

Your mouth dropped open slightly—it wasn’t at all what you expected from him.  He had a hopeful smile, and his brown eyes were fixed on yours.  His hand was warm and gentle on your shoulder.  Everything in you wanted to say yes.  Everything, that was, aside from the little gnawing guilty feeling over hooking up with Sweet Pea.

 _You weren’t official then_ , you reminded yourself.  _Technically, you’re not even official now.  Not unless you say yes._

“Y/N?” Reggie asked. “I’m sorry if this is way too soon.  I just wanted—”

“No, Reggie,” you cut him off. “I mean, no, not too soon.” You broke into a wide smile. “Yes, I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

“Really?” he laughed, unable to contain his joy. “Y/N, that’s—”

You cut him off with a kiss, holding him close to you.  Your lips parted, deepening the kiss, and for a moment, you were able to forget about Sweet Pea entirely.  For a moment, everything felt completely right.  


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Reggie may be an official couple now, but the feelings between you and Sweet Pea just won’t fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut and underage drinking

“C’mon, babe, relax,” Reggie laughed, holding you close to him. “It’s a party—you’re supposed to be having fun.”

You rolled your eyes.  Playoffs had just started, and Chuck Clayton was holding the biggest party since football season.  Normally, you’d be able to just let go and have fun, but there was something, someone, more specifically, that was preventing that.  Of course, there was no way in hell you could tell your boyfriend that, though.  You had been official for a whole two weeks now, and it had been three since you’d so much as spoken to Sweet Pea.  As soon as he walked into Clayton’s house, though, dressed in a black flannel and dark blue skinny jeans, you knew you were in trouble.

“Hey, Sweet Pea,” Reggie called him over, still holding you by the waist. “Great game, man.”

“You too, Mantle,” he replied, taking a sip of his drink and avoiding eye contact with you.  The two had been almost friendly lately, and it made your stomach turn.

Reggie laughed, finishing off his beer. “Glad you could make it.”

Sweet Pea shrugged, finishing his own drink. “What kind of person would I be to turn down free booze?”

He laughed again, the alcohol clearly hitting him hard. “Ask, Y/N, she’s been turning it down all night.”

“Ha, ha, Reg,” you replied, rolling your eyes. “I’ve had a drink.”

“Yeah, but only one, babe.” He wrapped his other arm around your waist, holding you tightly, like Sweet Pea wasn’t even there. As far as Reggie was concerned, he wasn’t. “You need to loosen up—have a little fun.”

Smirking, you slipped out of his grasp and grabbed a drink from the nearby cooler.  It was one of those fruity canned wine spritzers that you’d never admit to liking as much as you did. “Here, I’m drinking, happy?”

“With you, beautiful, always.” Reggie’s grin was so contagious that you couldn’t help but smile back.  When you glanced back to see if Sweet Pea was still there, he was gone. Trying not to make it too obvious you were looking, you spotted him talking to some girl you didn’t recognize. It made your gut start to twist.  

“Everything good?” Reggie asked, immediately picking up on your concern.

“Of course.” Smiling, you kissed him again, holding him close to you, loving the feeling of his strong arms around you. It was those little moments of intimacy you craved—the forehead kisses, the hugs, the endless smiles—that Sweet Pea would never provide.  You had to remember that.  You had to remember that Sweet Pea would never be your boyfriend, no matter how much you seemed to think you had feelings for him.

“Good.  Now, let’s get some better drinks.”

* * *

As the night wore on, you found yourself sitting outside, a drink in hand.  You were definitely a little drunk, no question about it, but that somehow didn’t make the party any better.  Reggie was even drunker, and he had disappeared into the basement to do god-only-knows-what with Chuck.  You were sitting in the grass, surrounded by nothing but the seemingly endless expanse of Chuck’s yard.  The house was sealed up tight, a precaution against nosy neighbors and cops, and the party sounded almost distant.  

“What, not feeling up to partying?” Sweet Pea asked, dropping to the ground next to you.

“Not particularly,” you replied, your voice soft. “I don’t think I’m drunk enough for that yet.”

“Yet?” He finished off his drink, crumpling the red solo cup and tossing it aside. “Do you plan to get drunker?”

“No, I don’t think so.” You turned to look at him. “So, are we speaking again?”

“Sure seems like it, doesn’t it?”

You bit back a pained smirk. “Why the change? Last time we  _talked_ , you seemed pretty damn done with me.”

He sighed deeply, running his hand through his messy hair. “Yeah, and I’ve regretted it since.  I should have at least heard you out, Y/N.”

Your heart started beating faster. “So why now?”

“I guess I’ve fucking missed you.”

“You mean you’ve missed fucking me.”

“Well, that too, but no, I’ve missed you. You’re one of the only people at Riverdale High I don’t hate, remember?”

You laughed. “Don’t hate?  Damn, what a glowing review.” You downed the remainder of your drink in one big gulp, loving the way the vodka seemed to burn down your throat. “I missed you too, Sweets.”

He bit his lip, clearly trying to hold something back. “I take it we’re not about to start our little arrangement back up again, though, are we?”

“We couldn’t even if I wanted to.  Reggie and I are together now.”

“So you’re saying you  _don’t_  want to?

“I’m saying it doesn’t matter either way.”

He glanced around, checking to make sure we were still alone in the massive backyard. “But it does, Y/N.” His hand crept towards yours, his fingers soft and light against the back of your hand. “It does more than you can possibly know.”

“We  _can’t_ , Sweet Pea,” you reasserted.  You could feel the alcohol flowing through you, making everything feel light and fuzzy.  Maybe you were drunker than you thought. “You know that.”

“What?  Do you love Mantle or something?”

“Is that any of your business?” You replied, tugging your hand away from his to grip a fistful of grass. “Anyways, it’s not like we’re secretly in love or something.  We fucked a few times.”

“More than a few,” he scoffed, giving you a searching look. “And that’s not what I was getting at.  You don’t love him, and you don’t love me, so why limit yourself to one loveless relationship when you can have two?” He smirked, and you looked back at him with a hard glare.

“That’s not how this fucking works, Sweets, and you know it.  I’m not going to be that person who leads a guy on when they know it won’t work out.” Your pitch was increasing, and the alcohol in your system was letting the words slip out too easily.

He laughed, leaning in closer and loosening your fistful of grass.  His voice was low and dark. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”

All rational thought leaving your mind, you slammed your lips into his.  You nearly climbed on top of him, grabbing his shoulders and holding yourself aggressively close.  He gripped your hips, holding you in place as he started running his lips down your neck.

“Sweet Pea, wait—I—” you gasped.

He pulled back, his lips parted and his breath hot against your skin. “Y/N, I’ll stop if you want me to, but I really don’t want to.”

You sighed raggedly, knowing that what you were doing was absolutely wrong, but either too drunk or too maddened by lust to do anything about it.  “Fuck, Sweet Pea, this is so wrong.”

“I can’t say I give a fuck.” His hand ran down your side, and your whole body erupted in goosebumps. “I want you, Y/N.”

“Oh fucking hell.” You grabbed his hand, pulling him off the ground and dragging him toward the pool house.  You barely glanced around to make sure no one was there, and then shoved him into the shed-like building.  Once the door was shut behind you, you grabbed him again, holding him close as you made out.

Smirking, he picked you up, pushing you against the wall and running his hands up your shirt. “God, I’ve missed this.” His lips pressed into your neck, his tongue hot against the sensitive skin there.  

“Sweet Pea, I—”

“Just relax, princess.” He pulled your shirt off and started kissing down your collarbone to the cups of your bra. “Let me make you feel good.”

Your lips parted with a soft gasp.  The pool house was warm and humid, and your skin was flushed with heat.  Every inch of your body seemed to be on fire, and you wanted Sweet Pea’s lips on all of it.  You fumbled with his shirt, pulling it off to press your chest into his.  His skin was as warm as yours, and you could feel his heart thumping in his chest.

Sweet Pea pulled off your bra, tossing it onto the growing pile of clothes.  He dragged his tongue against your nipple, making your back arch toward him.  Smirking, his bit down lightly, earning a breathy moan.

“Oh my god,” you moaned, running your hands through his hair to hold him close. “Holy shit.”

He chuckled and reattached his warm lips to the soft skin of your hips.  Expertly, he undid the button on your jeans, tugging them down your legs until you were able to kick them off.  “Have I ever mentioned how fucking gorgeous you are, princess?”

“Fucking hell, Sweet Pea,” you groaned, grabbing his arms to pull him back to your height.  You kissed him deeply, undoing his pants to feel the hardness underneath. “I need you to fuck me.  Do you have a condom?”

“Of course I do,” he laughed, his lips still brushing against yours. “What kind of basketball team co-captain would I be if I came to a party without intentions of getting laid?”

You laughed, amazed by how easy it felt to be with him. “Well then, take your damn boxers off, put it on, and fuck me.”

He laughed, kicking his pants off the rest of the way and fishing the condom out of his wallet.  Once he had it on, he pulled you close for a tender kiss.  As his lips gently parted yours, a flash of guilt overcome you.  You thought of Reggie, of the way he kissed you, the way he was falling for you. Then, Sweet Pea’s hand slipped between your legs, and any attempt at rational thought was gone.

“That’s it, babe,” he breathed, running his fingers through your slick folds. “Fuck, you’re so hot.”

You spread your legs, pushing your hips into him and trying to hold back a loud moan. “Sweet Pea, please.”

“I fucking love the sound of you saying my name.” He guided his hard cock to your opening, slowly rubbing the head up and down. “Do you want me, princess?  Do you want me inside you?”

“Oh my god, you fucking tease,” you groaned. “Just fuck me already.”

He smirked and thrust into you, filling you in one motion.  His jaw tensed as he groaned, gripping your hips to hold you in place as he pounded in and out of you. “You’re so fucking perfect, Y/N, so perfect.” With one hand, he brushed the hair from your forehead to kiss you.  His lips locked onto yours, and his thrusting slowed.  

You clutched his shoulders, loving the feeling of his arms around you, holding you in place as the lines between you blurred.  You couldn’t tell where you ended and he began, and you didn’t want to.  You wanted the moment to last forever.  It was over before you knew it, though.  Your climax came and went in a blissful haze, and you couldn’t help but smile when Sweet Pea rested his forehead on your own, his breath heavy.

“Y/N, that was—”

“A one-time thing, Sweets.”  You tucked his hair behind his ear, squeezing your eyes shut to kiss him. “We need to stop.”

“That’s just it, Y/N.  I don’t think I can.  I don’t think I can stop wanting you—I want you more than I’ve ever wanted someone.” His brown eyes radiated something so much deeper than just hurt.

“Sweet Pea, I just  _cheated_  on my boyfriend.” The word made you nauseous. “That’s so fucking wrong that I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

His hand ran down your body to your waist, pulling you close to him. “But it feels so fucking right.”

You bit your lip, shaking your head.  You started to collect your clothes, pulling them on as quickly as you could.  Sweet Pea got dressed too, more slowly, almost dazed. “This needs to end, Sweet Pea, for real this time.”      

“Okay.”

The softness in his voice made you want to cry. Everything in you wanted to reach out and hold him.  You didn’t, though.  Instead, you turned to walk out the door.  When you hit the cold outside air, your eyes started to burn.  You blinked a few times, trying to stop the tears, but there was no stopping them anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything starts to crumble when you’re forced to tell Reggie the truth about you and Sweet Pea.

The day after the party, Reggie didn’t call until close to noon.  Probably for the best seeing as the only thing more painful than your hangover was the overwhelming guilt about your actions from the night before.  It had you double-thinking everything from your relationship with Sweet Pea to your relationship with Reggie.  Cutting it off with Sweet Pea had to be the best choice—it had to.  

You glanced down at your phone which was buzzing yet again.  Finally, you picked it up.

 _“Babe, is everything okay?”_ Reggie asked.  _“I never saw you leave the party last night, and you haven’t been answering any of my texts.”_

“Yeah, shit, sorry, Reg.” You rolled over, unburying your face from your pillow. “I ended up getting a ride home with Valerie, and I’ve been sleeping all morning.”

_“Okay, yeah, makes sense.  Want to go grab lunch or something?”_

Your stomach turned.  The thought of lunch made you want to puke. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.”

* * *

Mercifully, Reggie pretty much carried the conversation at lunch, telling you all the funny stories that you missed from the night before. Had your guilt not been eating you alive, it probably would have been pretty entertaining.

“Y/N, babe, are you okay?  You’ve barely touched your food.”

You glanced down at your salad.  Sure enough, you’d only eaten like two pieces of lettuce. “Yeah, no, I’m good.  I just—I just—fuck.” You exhaled slowly, trying to catch your breath. “I guess I’m just not feeling that hot.  Maybe I did end up drinking too much last night.”

He smiled softly, reached across the table to gently take your hand in his. “No big—how about we go back to my place for a while, maybe watch a movie?”

Biting your lip, you nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

When you got to Reggie’s, he led you to your usual spot, the basement.  Even though his parents were basically never home, you still hung out down there.  The basement alone was nicer than your whole house, and it had always made you feel just a little bit uncomfortable.  

“So, talk to me, babe,” he said, wrapping his arm around you and holding you close. “I’m sorry I dragged you to the party.  I kind of feel like it’s my fault you’re feeling shitty now.”

You rested your head on his chest, curling in close and wrapping your arm around his waist.  You took a few deep breaths, taking in his scent that you had already come to love.  He was too good, too decent of a person for this.  Sure, he had a past of being a jerk, but now he was being the absolute best boyfriend a girl could ask for, and here you were cheating on him with some random guy, some random Serpent.  On top of that,  _he_ was apologizing that  _you_ felt like shit.  You had to tell him.  Even though it would suck and ruin everything, you  _had_  to tell him.  You took a final deep breath and sat up, salty tears stinging your eyes.

“Reggie, I—”

Out of nowhere, his phone started buzzing and chiming like crazy, and he looked over at the end table where it was sitting. “Babe, can I—”

“Sure.”

He grabbed the phone, scrolled for a moment, and then looked back up at you, his eyes narrowing. “Y/N, care to explain to me what the hell this is?” He turned the phone to show you a picture.

As soon as you saw it, the tears started spilling for real.  It was you and Sweet Pea sitting in the yard, his hand on top of yours.  The quality was shit, like someone had zoomed in from a distance, but there was absolutely no mistaking it.

“Reggie, that’s what I need to talk to you about. I—I—” you stuttered, the words locking in your throat.

“You what, Y/N?” He scooted away from you, his eyebrows knotting together. “Because it sure looks like there’s something happening between you and  _Sweet Pea_.” His voice was laced with disgust. “Unless there’s some other explanation for this.”

You swallowed hard, wiping your eyes. “There’s no explanation, Reggie.”

“What?” he demanded, flying off the couch to look down at you. “No fucking explanation?  What does that mean?  I deserve an explanation, Y/N.  Are you seeing him?”

“No, I’m not seeing him,” you spat, standing up to face him. “We’re barely even friends.”

“Then what the hell were you doing with him last night?”

You flinched at his shout, taking a step back. “Reg, I—”

“Don’t even, Y/N.” He ran his hand through his hair, his chest heaving as he flopped back onto the couch.  He paused for too long, squeezing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths. “Just tell me this—there’s something between you two, isn’t there?”

Slowly, you nodded. “Yeah, there is.”

“And there has been since before I asked you out.”

“Yeah.” Your voice was barely above a whisper.

He dropped his head into his hands. “I trusted you, Y/N.” His voice weakened. “I really fucking trusted you.” You wanted to respond, but you knew there was nothing you could say.  Instead, you just stood there, tears flowing freely as he bit back tears of his own. “You don’t know how long I’ve had a thing for you—how fucking excited I was when you finally agreed to go out with me.” He looked up, and his brown eyes were shiny with tears. “Even I never sunk that low—never  _cheated_  on someone. I thought you were better than that, Y/N.  I wanted you to be better than that.”

“Reggie, I’m sorry.” You sat down next to him, your hands clenched firmly in your lap. “I fucked up. I know that, and I am so fucking sorry. You’re right, you don’t deserve this—no one does.” You bit your lip, taking a few deep breaths to steady yourself. “I just—Sweet Pea and I were—I really wanted this to work, Reggie.  I really did, and I thought being with you would make me forget about him, but I just—”

“Save it.  I get it.  You don’t know what you want, and you thought fucking with my feelings was an okay way to help you figure it out.  Look, I get not knowing what to do, but damn, Y/N, don’t tell someone you want to be their girlfriend if you still have feelings for another guy.” He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head slowly. “Just go.”

You didn’t have any way to get home, and you were sure he knew that.  Wiping your eyes, you grabbed your coat and bag and started for the stairs. “I really am sorry.”

“I know.”

* * *

Every step sounded like a crack of thunder on the silent street of Reggie’s neighborhood.  Even midday, there didn’t seem to be anyone out.  All the better—all you needed was for everyone to watch you walk home.  You didn’t live anywhere close to Reggie, though, so you knew you’d need to figure something else out if you wanted to be home before nightfall.

Kevin answered on the first ring.

_“What’s up future Mrs. Reginald Mantle?”_

You tried to reply, but a sob wracked through you, and you stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk. “Kevin, I need a ride.”

_“Shit, Y/N, of course.  Where are you?”_

“Near Reggie’s house.  I’ll send a pin.”

_“On my way.”_

You kept walking, not wanting to draw even more unnecessary attention to yourself.  Kevin was picking you up within minutes, and as soon as you climbed into his car, you broke down in a fresh round of sobs.

“What’s going on, Y/N?” he asked. “What the hell did that bastard do to you?”

“No, Kev, Reggie didn’t do anything.  Other than dumping me, of course, but I deserved that,” you managed between tearful sobs. “I’m the one who fucked up.”

His jaw fell open as he put the pieces together. “Don’t tell me that you were still fucking Sweet Pea after you became official with Reggie.”

All you could do was nod.

His lips hardened into a thin line. “Are you serious, Y/N?  What the hell got into you?”

“I don’t know, Kevin.  I’m just a moron, okay?  I tried to cut it off with Pea, but when I saw him at the party last night, I just—I just fucked up, okay?”

“Yeah, I’d say so.” His tone was cold. “Fuck, Y/N, you’re my best friend in the whole world, but I don’t even know what to say right now.  You’ve had a crush on Reggie as long as I can remember, and then some Serpent comes into the picture, and you throw away an amazing relationship for some guy who just wants to hookup in a closet?  That’s  _screwed up_ , Y/N.”

His words cut through you like a knife:  _just wants to hookup in a closet_. He was right—you had zero indication that Sweet Pea wanted anything more than that, so why the fuck couldn’t you get him off your mind?  Why the fuck had you cheated on your boyfriend with him?  And most importantly, why the  _fuck_  did you want nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around you and tell you everything was going to be okay?

“What if that’s not all he wants?”

“Has he given any indication of that, or is that just desperate post-breakup depression speaking?”

“Probably the desperation.” You tugged your phone out of your pocket, staring at the screen like someone would text you and make everything better. “What do I do, Kev?”

“I don’t know, Y/N.  I can’t say I’ve ever been in a position where I cheated on one guy for another and now can’t be with either one.  I imagine it sucks, though.”

“Jeez, no sympathy from you, is there?” Your tone came out colder than you intended.

He glanced over at you, taking his eyes off the road just long enough for you to see the coldness there. “No, honestly, no.  You brought this all upon yourself, Y/N.  It’s not like Sweet Pea forced you to keep hooking up—you just wanted to.”

“You’re right, you know.”

“Trust me, I know.” He offered a small smile. “You’ll be fine, Y/N.  Like, this is shitty, but you’ll be fine.” He pulled into your driveway and gave you a hard look. “You need to promise me something, though.”

“What?”

“Delete Sweet Pea’s number and pretend he never existed.  He is nothing but trouble, and you don’t need that in your life.  Just make it to graduation without fucking anyone in a closet, and life will go on.” He reached over and squeezed your hand softly. “Seriously, though, you need to delete his number.”

You nodded, your phone still clenched tightly in your fist. “I know.  Thank you, Kevin.  For real—thank you for being my friend.”

“Of course, Y/N.  You may be a completely idiotic tool right now, but you’re my completely idiotic tool.  I know you’re a good person deep down.” He paused. “And some guy, who is not a certain Serpent or Bulldog, will be really lucky to have you someday.”

You rolled your eyes, glad that for the first time in what felt like forever, you weren’t crying. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

As he pulled out of the driveway, you unlocked your phone and opened Sweet Pea’s contact.  Your finger was hovering over the little trash can icon, but it felt like there was a magnetic force repelling you.  No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t seem to make your thumb touch that stupid trash can.  Then, you phone pinged, and the sound seemed to echo for miles.  

_1 New Message_

_Sweets: Hey, Y/N, I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from right now, but can we talk?_

Knowing that you were probably making the biggest mistake of your life, you hit reply.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking to Reggie, you need to talk to Sweet Pea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: smut

“Okay.”

As the word slipped out of his lips, Sweet Pea felt the world start to crumble around him.  When the door shut behind her, he felt his legs start to buckle, and he crumbled slowly to the ground.  The air felt thick, unbreathable, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to catch his breath.

Sweet Pea would never call himself a good person.  A person with good qualities, sure, but never a  _good_ person.  At that moment, though, he felt like utter scum.  What kind of dick was he to sleep with a girl in a relationship?  And it wasn’t just any relationship, but a relationship with his basketball co-captain.  That wasn’t just a mistake, that was a huge-scale fuck up.

Slowly, he fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed Fangs.

_“Hey man, what’s up?”_

“I need a ride home.”

Fangs paused, clearly sensing the pain in his friend’s voice.  _“Are you at Clayton’s house?”_

“Yup.”

_“On my way.”_

Sweet Pea couldn’t get the image of Y/N’s face out of his head as he finished getting dressed.  He gripped his shoulder, feeling the sharp sting where her nails had dug into his skin.  Nothing else could hurt so good.  Once he was fully clothed, he popped his head out of the pool house, checking both ways.  When he determined it was clear, he snuck out and back towards the front of the house. He knew he should probably say goodbye, but there was no way he could face his teammates right now. Instead, he sat on the front porch, resting his head in his hands and trying not to think.

Fangs pulled up in his old pickup truck a few minutes later.  Sweet Pea was in such a daze that he didn’t even notice.

“Sweet Pea!” Fangs called.

Sweet Pea looked up, lurching off the porch and into the truck. “Thanks.”

Fangs nodded and started driving.  For a moment, he just let the silence be, not wanting to push a clearly volatile Sweet Pea. After close to five minutes of dead silence, though, he had to ask.

“So what the hell happened?”

“Hooked up with Y/N again.”

Fangs’s eyes widened. “And I’m guessing her and Reggie haven’t broken up.”

“Nope.” His eyes were fixed firmly on the trees slipping past his window.  He couldn’t bring himself to look Fangs in the eye.

“So what’s going to happen now?”

Sweet Pea bit his lip, clenching his fists. “She told me it was over—again.”

Fangs shook his head. He wouldn’t dare say what he was thinking that maybe Sweet Pea should have listened the last time.  Instead, he went with another question. “Did you tell her how you feel?”

“Kind of, I guess.”

“Kind of?”

He exhaled slowly, doing everything in his power not to snap. “Yeah, I told her that I wanted her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone before.”

“Jesus Christ, Pea, that’s not what I meant.  Fuck, dude, of course, she rejected you again.  You basically told her that she makes you hornier than anyone else does. Like, no girl’s going to leave her insanely hot, perfect boyfriend for that.”

“Insanely hot?” Sweet Pea’s lips curved into a slight smile, and he finally turned away from the window to look at his friend.

“Yes, insanely hot.  He may be an absolute tool to anyone he’s not trying to bang, but I can’t deny that he’s attractive.  That’s absolutely not the point, though.  The point is that you’re in love with this damn girl and you can’t even bring yourself to tell her.” He exhaled sharply. “Fuck, man, c’mon.”

Sweet Pea shook his head, resting his forehead on the cool glass window. “What do I do, Fangs?”

“I’d recommend getting so drunk you forget her name, pass out, wake up and start getting over it.  She’s a Northsider, Pea, and a Northsider that’s dating Reggie fucking Mantle at that.  Be realistic.”

“I  _realistically_  don’t think I could even look at another girl right now.”

“Maybe give dudes a try?”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Fogarty.”

“Just trying to help,” Fangs laughed.  They reached Sweet Pea’s trailer, and Fangs pulled the truck into the parking spot. He turned to look at his friend. “Now, do I need to keep you on watch, or will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.  See you tomorrow.” He hopped out of the car, slamming the door behind him and storming towards the trailer.

Fangs shook his head, putting the truck in reverse to pull out. “See you tomorrow.”

* * *

“Alright, un-jolly green giant, what’s the deal?” Toni flew into the trailer, not bothering to knock before barging in. “Fangs sort of told me but I need to hear it from you.”

“What the fuck, Topaz?” Sweet Pea grumbled, rolling over from his position face-down on the bed. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“It’s after noon, Pea, get your ass up.” She started tossing clothes at him. “And maybe take a shower—it smells beer in here.”

“Probably because I drank a lot of beer last night.” He lazily pulled a shirt on, managing to sit up and look at her.

She walked into the kitchen, saw the garbage full of beer cans, and made a face of disgust. “I can tell. This is disgusting, you know.”

“I’m aware.” He slouched out of bed and to the sink to get a glass of water. “Now what are you doing here?”

“What do you think, dumbass?” She sat down on the couch. “Y/N broke your heart again last night.”

“Ah, so you’re here to rub it in?” He flopped onto the couch next to her, running his hand through his messy hair. “Go ahead—I doubt it can make me feel worse.”

“No, I’m not.” She turned to face him, giving him a hard look. “I’m here to tell you what you’ve missed while you’ve been passed out.” She pulled out her phone and opened Snapchat, showing him the image that had already been spread through the whole of Riverdale High. “Look.”

Slowly, he took the phone, his eyes narrowing as he tried to focus on the blurry image.  It had clearly been taken from afar and then screenshotted repeatedly, but there was no questioning what it was. “And everyone’s seen this?”

“Oh yeah.  Hell, I bet even Weatherbee’s seen it by this point.”

“Fuck.” He handed her the phone and leaned back on the couch. “Reggie’s going to dump her.”

“Probably already has.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, it’s like one in the afternoon, and if she’s feeling anything like you, she’s already talked to him.” Toni sighed, reaching over to take Sweet Pea’s hand. “You’ve got a chance here, Pea, a shitty chance, but a chance.”

“And what kind of dick would I be to try to get with her now?” He shook his head, his gaze miles away.

“A huge one, but you already solidified that reputation when you slept with her while her boyfriend was less than a hundred feet away.” She paused, selecting her next words carefully. “May as well take a chance, right?”

He fished around in the couch until he found his phone.  Then he scrolled down to Y/N’s contact. “How shitty of an idea is this?”

“Can’t be any shittier than sleeping with her in a pool house.”

He quickly typed out a message.  Then, his hand shaking, he hit send.

* * *

When you pulled your car up to the beat-up trailer, you triple-checked the address before getting out.  The gravel crunched under your feet; each step felt like running a marathon.  By the time you reached the door, he was already pulling it open.

“Hey.” He stepped back, letting you walk in.

You wanted to look around, to see how Sweet Pea lived, but you couldn’t look away from him, from the pained expression in his deep brown eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “No, I am.”

“Sweets, I—"  

“Please, don’t apologize, Y/N.  We both knew what we were getting into with this, and I was the one who let myself get too attached.  I shouldn’t have even tried anything last night.”

“And I shouldn’t have been so willing.” You sat down on the couch, your legs feeling weak and shaky. “I shouldn’t have cared so much about you.”

“Cared about me?” His eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Y/N, what—what do you mean?”

“It wasn’t just sex, Sweet Pea,” you replied, exasperated. “Of course, it wasn’t.  I could have had all the awesome sex I wanted with Reggie, but I could barely bring myself to kiss him when I thought about you.”

His gaze softened, and he dropped to his knees in front of you, putting you at nearly the same height. “Y/N, I’ve wanted more for a long time now, and I know this is probably the absolute worst way to start a relationship, if you even want a relationship, but I need to tell you. I need to tell you that I care about you, and even though it’s stupid beyond belief, I am not okay with this being the end.” His breath was ragged, and he looked about ready to cry.

“Sweets,” you breathed. “I—we—oh fuck this.” You leaned in and kissed him, flying off of the couch and onto his lap, pulling yourself close and your lips crashed together.  The kiss was hungry and desperate, like you both thought the other might disappear at any second.  Your lips parted as he fell back onto the floor, holding you tightly on top of him. After a heated moment, you pulled back, still resting on top of him as your lips curved into a smile. “Sorry.”  

“Don’t ever apologize for that, princess.” He smiled, that rare, genuine smile that you had only seen a few times before. “That was amazing.  You’re amazing.” He tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. “So what does this mean?”

“Hell if I know.” You pressed a light kiss into his lips, running your hand through his hair. “I mean, it’s not like we can just date without becoming the biggest pariahs in Riverdale.”

“True, true, we should probably give it some time before I’m making out with you in the hallways.”

“Shut up, Sweets.” You couldn’t help but smile at the image. “We don’t even know if this will work.  I mean, yeah, we have great sex, but should we really be dating? Does it make sense?”

“Since when does dating have to make sense?” He sighed. “Don’t worry about that right now, Y/N.  We can deal with labels and shit later.  For now, I just have one absolutely urgent question?”

You smirked. “What’s that?”

“Would you like to get off my floor and move to the bed?”

“Depends, can we have sex that doesn’t feel like a race out the door?” You ran your fingertip down his cheek to his lips, lighting tracing the shape. “Like that time you came to my place?”

“Babe, I can do so much better than that.” Carefully, he sat up, lifting you up with him and taking your hand to lead you to the bedroom.

Kicking off your shoes, you climbed onto the bed, laying back as Sweet Pea climbed on top of you.  His movements were slow and deliberate as he gripped your hip, kissing you deeply. “You’re so beautiful, Y/N.”

Your mouth fell open as he kissed the sensitive spot below your ear. “Fuck, Sweets.” You clung to his shoulders.

He smirked and pulled off your shirt, reaching behind you to unclip your bra. “Just relax, princess.” Tugging off his own shirt and leaned back in to kiss you again.  He ran his hand down your sides, and you erupted in goosebumps.

You grabbed the front of his jeans, fumbling with the zipper until you could start pushing them down his hips.  Feeling his erection through the thin material of his boxers, you felt that familiar ache building in your stomach. “Sweets, I need you.”

“I know, princess,” he murmured, trailing his lips down your stomach to the waistband of your jeans.  His breath hot on your skin, he quickly unzipped them and tugged them off along with your panties. “Just be patient—I’m taking my time, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, oh— _fuck_.” His tongue flicked across your clit, and your hips bucked. He held you down firmly, pushing your legs apart as he settled into place.  Within seconds, he had you writhing with pleasure.  Your hands were in his hair, holding him to you as you squirmed and whimpered. “Pea, I’m close.  Oh my god, I’m—” Your orgasm ripped through you, and you clutched the sheets, nearly yanking them off the bed.

Smirking, he climbed back up to kiss you lightly on the cheek. “God, I could listen to you for the rest of my life.”

You pulled his face to yours, kissing him slowly as you reached into his boxers to stroke his length. “Let’s not get dramatic, Pea.” You kissed him again. “Now, are you going to fuck me or what?”

He laughed, shifting his weight so that his body was resting lightly on top of yours. “Your wish is my command, princess.” He fished in the bedside table for a condom and then got himself resituated between your legs.  With one hand, he lined himself up with your entrance.  With the other, he took your hand in his, your fingers lacing together. “You ready?”

“Mhm.” You held his hand tightly, your eyes squeezing shut.  You felt so light, like you could float right off the bed.  Sweet Pea pushed into you, and you let out a loud moan. “Oh my god, Sweets.”

“Fuck, baby, oh fuck you feel so good.” He pulled out and thrust in again, harder. “You look so fucking beautiful right now.” He worked into a rhythm, thrusting slow and hard.  With every thrust, you were forced back into the bed, pleasure radiating through every inch of your body.

“Faster,” you begged.

He cupped your face with his free hand, holding you in place for a long kiss as his hips rocked into yours. “Get ready, baby.” He pulled back, leaving your lips aching for more.  Then, he slammed back into you, taking on a furious pace. The whole bed rocked with you, and your little gasps turned into full-blown moans.

“Fuck, Sweets, I’m—”

With a groan, he came hard, holding himself deep inside you.  You followed suit, clinging to him as you both rode out your orgasms.  As you both came down, your breath was heavy—you were still holding each other close, not wanting to let go.  Finally, you untangled your fingers from his to run them through his hair. Smiling softly, he fell back onto the bed, relaxing into your touch.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I could get used to this.”

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you're interested, this fic officially has a sequel. If you're interested, you can read Part One[ here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17368274/chapters/40869986) Preview below!
> 
> * * *
> 
> ##  **TWO WEEKS AGO, YOU MADE YOUR CHOICE—YOU DUMPED REGGIE MANTLE TO GIVE YOUR EXPLOSIVE NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH SWEET PEA A CHANCE.  NOW, YOU’RE LEARNING THAT FOR EVERY ACTION, THERE IS…** ****
> 
> ****
> 
>  
> 
> Their stares were like bullets, shooting through you with zero regard for what vital organs they might hit along the way.  The stares from virtual strangers weren’t the ones that hurt the most, though.  That honor was reserved for the people you thought were your friends—Veronica, Kevin.  No one seemed to understand why you’d made the choice you did, why you’d thrown away a perfectly good relationship with football superstar Reggie Mantle for some kid from the wrong side of the tracks.  Worse than that, no one  _wanted_ to understand.  All they really wanted was to divert the attention from themselves, to find someone new to throw under the bus that was the social hierarchy of Riverdale High.  No one gave a damn that you couldn’t just ignore your feelings and live a lie—that the decision had nearly ripped you in two.  All they cared about was proving to you  _exactly_  how wrong of a decision they thought it was.   
> 
>  


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